Looking After Your Mental Health in a Global Pandemic
- Kezia Mathieson
- Dec 14, 2021
- 4 min read
I know I don't need to tell you that the world feels like a strange place at the moment. We have been living with a lot of worry and uncertainty since the pandemic began, and continue to do so.
How is the pandemic affecting people's mental health?
COVID-19 is impacting us all in different ways, however these are some of the common ones to look out for.
Mood changes
Many people are noticing that they are struggling more with low mood and this is having an impact on their motivation and energy levels. Some of us have had COVID-19 and some of us are sadly experiencing long COVID symptoms that continue to impact us. Many of us are emotionally exhausted from working from home in isolation or some of us felt the stress of being a key worker at the height of the pandemic. For months and months we stayed home. It felt like groundhog day with limited feelings of enjoyment and achievement as we focused on trying to survive. Some of us have lost loved ones or have not been able to say goodbye to loved ones, and we haven't had our usual coping resources.
If these things have impacted your mood, then you are not alone.
Signs of low mood:
- Feeling down, depressed or hopeless
- Changes in appetite (eating more or less than usual)
- Sleep changes
- Feeling unmotivated
- Feeling tired and lethargic
- Being more irritable and angry
- More tearful than usual
- Isolating self from others
Worry & Anxiety
We have been living in the midst of huge amounts of global uncertainty and this is huge trigger for worry. We all worry to some extent and this is normal, however some people are noticing that their worrying is feeling out of hand and is impacting their lives. Many people have been asking themselves 'what will happen to me?', 'what will happen to my family?' and 'when will this all be over?'
We have essentially been in 'threat' mode since the pandemic began. By that I mean that COVID-19 has become a danger signal to our brains and our brains have responded to that by being on hyper alert. For a lot of us, each time we have heard about something about COVID-19 we have been plunged back into fight or flight mode. The reminders have been everywhere. It has been difficult to escape, especially if you read the news or use social media.
Signs you are feeling anxious or struggling with worry:
- Worry is interfering with your day to day life
- Poor sleep
- Panic attacks
- Aches and pains
- IBS/gastric problems
- Irritable
- Feeling scared or frightened
- Feeling unable to cope
- Avoiding things
Relapses
Many people who had been managing their mental health, especially those who have struggled with certain types of mental health problems are finding that they are struggling again. These people include people who experience depression, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety (SA), Agoraphobia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). These people have worked hard to overcome their difficulties but are now facing new challenges.
What can you do to help?
Thankfully there are some things that you can do at home to help yourself navigate this difficult, uncertain time.
Activity Scheduling
We use this in CBT therapy to help people overcome low mood. Lack of pleasurable activities and opportunities to feel achievement can lead to low mood. Therefore making time in the week to plan in activities that bring you a sense of enjoyment, achievement and closeness to others can really help. Remember. Follow the plan, not the mood.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness doesn't need to be time consuming or complicated. It simply means to pay attention to the present moment whilst acknowledging your thoughts and feelings, letting them come and go.
Here are some examples of some mindfulness based practices you can do at home:
Taking a walk and paying attention to the sounds you can hear, the sights you see, the smells and what you can feel (e.g. feet on the ground, breeze on your skin). When your mind wanders (and it inevitably will), just notice that has happened and bring your attention back to what you were doing.
Mindful breathing by closing your eyes and paying attention to feel of the air filling your lungs and gently leaving. Notice the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in and out. When your mind wanders, just notice that has happened and bring your attention back to what you were doing.
If you are trying to calm yourself through a particularly stressful moment you can 'box breathe' by breathing in for a count of 4, holding for 4, breathing out for 4 and then holding again for 4.
Limit exposure to COVID-19 related information
One of the simplest things you can do for your mental health is to limit how much exposure you are getting to COVID-19 information. That might mean different things to you. It could be limiting your time on social media, access to the news or refraining from using a search engine to ask questions about the pandemic on a frequent basis.
Focus on what you can control
You (as a single person) cannot control this pandemic, its infection rates or what is happening in the world. You can help yourself by focusing on what you can control. Such as your behaviour (mask wearing, following government advice), where you get your information from (keeping to credible sources) and how much exposure you have to that information (see above).
Look after your body
Try and make sure that you are exercising, eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep. Physical health and mental health are connected and not looking after one affects the other.
Seek support
If you are really struggling with your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic then remember to reach out. This can be to friends, family or to a professional such as a therapist, local IAPT (improving access to psychological therapies) service or your GP.
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